


One More Time

by lookingforthestars



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: But Gert and Chase have each other's backs, F/M, Family is hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22193095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookingforthestars/pseuds/lookingforthestars
Summary: Victor Stein may not be worth another chance. But that doesn't mean Chase doesn't want to give him one.
Relationships: Chase Stein/Gertrude Yorkes
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55





	One More Time

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking a lot about the Runaways' relationships with their parents. As someone who doesn't have a relationship with one of her parents, I don't know, something about it speaks to me. And Victor, as awful as he is, had a lot of moments on the show where you wondered if he might change, so I think Chase's repeated attempts to have a relationship with him are really sad because you can understand it. And we didn't get too far into all of that before the show ended, sadly. Anyway. I'm rambling? Here's a story.

“My dad called today.”

Gert almost dropped her book, startled by the sudden break in silence. Chase had been quiet for at least an hour, replacing some part or other in the Rolls. She wasn’t really paying attention. But she liked this, anyway. Doing their own things, separately but together. Plus, he looked super hot in his meant-to-get-dirty black shirt and jeans.

She shook herself out of her horny reverie and scolded herself to focus. “Sorry, what?”

Normally, he would smirk at her, knowing precisely why she was in a daze. But not this time. He looked different. Serious. “My dad called. He wants us to get lunch and talk.”

“Oh.” Gert was maybe more surprised than she should have been. It wasn’t like Dale and Stacey hadn’t been trying to reconnect with her lately. A month had passed since they defeated Morgan, and their lives were still in a pretty strange limbo. They weren’t runaways anymore, technically, but diving right back into their old lives didn’t feel right either. The whole group was trying to figure out their next steps, carve out an existence beyond moment-to-moment survival. “What are you gonna do?”

“I’m not sure.” Chase straightened up, wiping his face with a cloth that _probably wasn’t very sanitary_ , Gert forced herself to let that slide, it wasn’t important. “I told him I would think about it.”

Victor Stein wasn’t a good person, but Chase was. Chase was so, so good. Sometimes, Gert couldn’t even imagine how he’d come from such a dysfunctional family not only intact, but kind and generous and happy. If it wasn’t for his astronomical intelligence, Gert would swear he was adopted.

Chase must have caught a _look_ on her face, because he raised an eyebrow. “You think I should tell him to get lost, don’t you?”

“He’s not my father,” Gert rebutted, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter what I think.”

“Never stopped you before.” They shared a small smile before he grew somber again. “I’m serious, Gert. What would you do?”

“Blast him with the Fistigons and tell him to say hi to Hitler in hell,” she admitted. “It’s what he deserves for what he did to you.”

The physical and emotional trauma Victor had inflicted on his son was unforgivable, as far as she was concerned. She’d seen Chase flinch when he talked to his father, cleaned up the scratches from Victor blasting him through that glass window. Then there was the damage people couldn’t see, the self-doubt, the constant fear that he was unloved and unlovable.

But Chase wasn’t like her. He never stopped giving people chances, whether they deserved it or not. “Yeah, probably.” He wiped his hands on his jeans, walking over to the bench they’d moved into the garage for the express purpose of Gert keeping him company. “I kept thinking…hoping, I guess…that my dad would change. And he never did. But after everything that happened, I feel like…like I need to know for sure, you know?”

Gert nodded, trying to keep her voice even. This wasn’t the time to launch into one of her rants. It would only make him defensive, make him feel even more ashamed, and that wasn’t what she wanted. “Your dad isn’t sick now, he’s not possessed, he almost lost you,” she said quietly. “If he’s ever going to be a better father to you, it’s right now. And if he’s not…well, then you know you’ve seen him for what he really is.”

Chase didn’t speak for a minute, clearly mulling over her words. “Gert, if I forgive him, I don’t want you to hate me,” he said finally.

He sounded so sad, and his eyes were haunted, and it broke her heart. “Chase, I wouldn’t. Why would you think that?”

“You hated me when I forgave him last time.” He pressed his lips into a thin line, avoiding her gaze. “I was weak and stupid and insecure, remember?”

Gert swallowed. She’d said all those things, and she hated that she couldn’t take them back, hated that Chase was still affected by them. So much had happened since then, but Gert was certain that if the roles had been reversed, she would never forget those words either.

“I was mad at you for leaving me.” This was honest, too honest, the words were getting stuck in her throat, but she forced them out because he needed to hear it. Or maybe she needed to say it. “I couldn’t tell you that then, but it hurt so much that you just left us without a second thought. Like we didn’t mean anything. Like _I_ didn’t mean anything.”

They didn’t talk about this much. It felt like a lifetime ago. But the memory was still painful, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t erase it completely. “You know that isn’t true,” Chase said, his voice so tight she wondered if he was fighting back tears. “Walking away from you was the hardest thing in the world.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t _say_ that, I didn’t know.” Gert could feel her volume rising, her heart beating faster, and she took a breath, calming herself before her anxiety reached a tipping point and she couldn’t bring herself back from the edge. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to dredge that up again. My point is that this was never about Victor. Deep down, I understood why you went. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing.”

Chase leaned back, looking at her intently. “It’s okay to dredge that up, Gert. I’d rather talk about it now than have you resent me for it.”

“I don’t,” she promised. “We have our baggage and it sucks, but I don’t resent you. You’ve more than made up for all of it.”

That was an understatement. Gert had always known he would do everything possible to make her happy, to make her life a little better. Now she knew he would do the impossible, too.

“All I want is to be good enough for you,” Chase murmured, reaching over to take her hand in his. He played with her fingers absentmindedly, giving Gert goosebumps from the brush of his skin over hers. “I’ve always tried so hard to be good enough. For everyone.”

_For Victor_. He didn’t say it, but she knew that was what he meant. “You’re a lot more than _good enough_ , Chase. Your brain is huge, and your heart is even bigger.” She inched closer, wrapping her free arm around his and hooking her chin over his shoulder. “I don’t know how you do it.”

“Do what?”

Gert shrugged. “See the best in people. I just assume everyone will hurt me, even if they won’t. But people have hurt you and you still think they can be better.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Both. Although honestly, if you weren’t so forgiving, we probably wouldn’t be together, so...” She trailed off. Chase refused to be pushed away, no matter how hard she tried. And now that she’d stopped trying, she was grateful that he’d been able to see past her defenses, dismantle her walls.

“Then it’s a good thing.” Gert felt him smile more than she could see it. “You’ve had to forgive me too. I’m thankful for that, you know. More than you realize.”

“Then just don’t do it again. Don’t...don’t choose him over me again.”

She was pleading, it was embarrassing, but all Chase did was tighten his grip on her hand. “I won’t,” he murmured, like he was trying to keep it just between them, even though no one else was around. “You’re the most important person in the world to me, Gert. I think you always have been.”

_That didn’t stop you from leaving before,_ the Negative Nancy part of her brain chimed in, but she just held onto him tighter, letting his closeness quiet the voice. “If you are going to stay in touch with your dad, only meet him in public places, okay? And talk to me if he starts messing with your head. I’ll pull you back.” She ran her hand up and down his arm, squeezing his bicep comfortingly. “If he hurts you again, I can’t promise I won’t have Old Lace rip his head off.”

Chase chuckled, clearly a little surprised, but his tone was affectionate when he responded, “Deal.” They lapsed into silence, neither bothering to move, and it felt like hours had passed before Chase spoke again. “What about you? Your parents? I know they’ve called.”

She’d thought about this. A lot. After all, Alex had already forgiven his father, both of them grieving over his mother’s death and their roles in it. Nico and Tina were similarly mourning Robert’s loss. Karolina and Leslie were on good terms, mostly, even if they weren’t as close as they used to be.

Gert never thought any of them would forgive their parents. It had all seemed so black and white when they discovered Pride’s true nature, but now, after what they’d done to survive on the run, to survive against Jonah’s family…maybe things were a little grayer now.

“I don’t know yet. I mean, Stacey wiped my memory and kickstarted my anxiety. Way before we found out who our parents really were. I don’t think I can ever trust her again. But my dad…I don’t know,” she repeated. She felt like she’d been saying that a lot lately. “Dale has done a lot of awful and stupid things, but he tried to protect me when Stacey went haywire.”

Chase nodded thoughtfully. “That’s more than my mom always did.”

“And I have to think about what’s best for Molly. She hasn’t decided whether she wants to be a family again or not, but…I think if she forgives them, I’ll try too. For her.”

“Yeah.” His shoulders slumped, like he was suddenly exhausted. “I’m starting to wonder if there’s even a right answer to this.”

“Probably not. That’s why it’s called a moral dilemma.” Gert moved away slightly, just enough to look at him. “It doesn’t matter. Whatever happens with our parents, good or bad, we can always land here. Together. All of us. Right?”

Chase smiled, that toothy grin that Gert loved because it meant she’d made things a little better, made him a little bit happier, and he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Yeah. You’re right.”


End file.
